Improvement in vehicle-platform springs



J. E. s-HERFEY.

VEHICLE PMM-Forma SPRINGS.

N.FETEHS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON D L UNITED STATES PATENTOEEIoE.

JOSEPH E. SHEBFEY, OF BRAZIL, INDIANA.

i IMPROVEMENT IN VEHICLE-PLATFORM SPRINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 182,488, datedSeptember 19,1876; application led June 27, 1876.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, J osEPn E. SHEREEY, ofthe city of Brazil, in the county of Clay and State of Indiana, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Wagon- Platforms; and Ido hereby declare that the following Ais a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art towhich it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

The nature of my invention consists in the construction and arrangementof a platform and beds or bodies for spring wagons or carriages, as willbe hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the annexed drawing, Fig. 1 is a plan view, Fig. 2 is a sideelevation, and Fig. 3 is a rear view, of my invention.

The object of my invention is to dispense with the use of thecross-spring and shackles as ordinarily used back of the axles,substituting in their place two half-springs, A A, fastened to the lowersprings B B in the usual manner, back of the axle C, and fastened at thetop to a spring bar or bars, D, of the wood'- work of the platform. Thisspring bar D extends from spring to spring under the fifthwheel E, andis braced at or near each end by a cross-bar, G, with the frontspring-bar D. The springs may be set at right angles with the largespring-bar D and axle, or they may be drawn together in front to anyangle required, making the front spring-bar D shorter than the largespring-bar D. The springbar D is also braced and strengthened by one ormore iron rods, a, fastened in any suitable manner to its ends, anddrawn downwand underneath it, as shown, forming a solid brace.' Thehounds H may be fastened either above or below the spring-bar D, or thebar may be made of two dat pieces of springy wood fastened together atthe ends, and sprung apart far enough in the center for the hounds to befastened in between them. The spring-bars D, Gr, and D may be connectedin any suitable manner.

To the under side of the upper springA is attached a rubber supporter,d, by means of a bolt, e, extending down a short distance with a swellor head on the end, so that when forced into the cavity of the rubber itwill be connected together by means of a shackle, I,

which may be formed by extending the bottom leaf of the upper spring, orit may be made of a separate plate, as shown. The end ofthe shackle,which connects with the front end of the bar Gr, is bent in S or similarform, so that when a heavy weight comes on the spring it will be movedforward as the springs come together, thereby keeping the centers of thespring 4exactly over each other. This arrangement will Vnot be necessarywhen the springs are at right angles with the axle, as the upper partofthe spring can be set steeper than the lower, to regulate-the backwardmotion ofthe axle when the front part of the spring is fastened to asolid shackle, as in the usual manner.

The rear end of the shackle, where it is fastened to the cross-springbar, may be hinged so that its motion will be more free than whenfastened Without a hinge. (The front end of it may also extend farenough back to receive an axle-clipfor fastening it to the bar G.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is i l. The half-springs A andspring-bar D, in combination with the springs B, asA and for thepurposes set forth.

2. The 4spring-bars D D and cross-spring bars G Gr, in combination withthe springs A A and B B, as and for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as Witnesses A. J. KIDD,

WINsoN D. DUNN.

